Sunday, 27 July 2014

Anti-microbial coatings with a long-term effect for surfaces

Researchers have now produced antimicrobial abrasion-resistant coatings with both silver
and copper colloids with a long-term effect that kill germs reliably and at the
same time prevent germs becoming established.

The
researchers were able to prove the double microbicidal and biofilm-inhibiting
action using the standardized ASTM E2 180 test process. The new material can be
applied to a variety of substrates such as plastic, ceramic or metal using
conventional techniques such as spraying or dipping, and cures thermally or
photochemically. Selective variation of the individual components allows the
developers to react to the particular and different needs of potential
users. As part of the EU-sponsored CuVito project, the developers are now
looking at increasingly using copper colloids and copper ions as well as silver
which they hope will open up other fields of application.